In November 2024, the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective (Cajar) posted: “Criminal Judge 2 of the Zipaquira Circuit, Gabriel Darío Hincapié, acquitted three trade unionists of the Ecopulpack S.A.S. company of all charges against them and stated that there was persecution against them for their determination to found and maintain the union of the workers of that company: Sinaltraindustrias.”
“The president of Cajar, Yessika Hoyos, and the lawyer Sebastián Escobar, representatives of the three workers, stressed that it is proven that the company exerted pressure and threats against its employees for wanting to found a union and promote the rights of workers in a context of job insecurity, persecuting them until they managed to get the majority to resign from the union.”
“From Cajar, together with other human rights and trade union organizations, have stated that acts of harassment, persecution and criminalization of trade union action threaten the freedoms of workers in Colombia and ignore the scope and protection that the High Courts and the Committee on Freedom of Association of the International Labor Organization (ILO) have granted to this fundamental right.”
The CAJAR statement added: “Despite this important decision, we regret to inform that after having been acquitted and in a new act of persecution against its employees, Pulpack delivered a letter of dismissal to two of the people acquitted in this process and, in addition, prohibited them from entering the company from the date and until the end of their contract.”
The full statement from CAJAR can be read at: Tras ser absueltos, dos trabajadores de Ecopulpack fueron despedidos en un nuevo acto de discriminación antisindical (Cajar, November 26, 2024).
Accompaniment
Peace Brigades International has accompanied the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective (CAJAR) since 1995.
Further reading: Credhos, Nomadesc, Cahucopana take part in the National Mobilization with Colombian unions, social movements the day after Decree 1525 (PBI-Canada, October 14, 2026).
